More To It
by Hybryd0
Summary: This is going to be a collection of stories. See inside for more details.
1. Different

AN: This is going to be a collection of stories that will explain things happening behind the scenes of When Everything Goes Wrong. Some stories may be things that have happened in the past that play a part in the future. Some are things that happened in between chapters. Others might be scenes that took place in the story with more things added. Anything I feel could be helpful will be put here. Things won't be in order so don't get confused. If there's a scene you'd like to see expanded or a behind the scenes story you'd like to see let me know and I'll see what I can do.

This is a short one about the Battle Rangers before Kalix ever threatened them.

ZzZzZ

"I won't be partnered with that Basiacan scum!"

"Craggan!"

"No Baja, that beast might have the rest of you fooled, but I won't fall for it." Craggan snarled.

"Harper is not like other Basiacans. You have no right to judge him before you've even know him." Baja retorted. "Give the kid a chance."

"I distinctly remember that being the reason we're dealing with their kind." Craggan said, voice thick with hate. "That _thing _doesn't belong on the team."

"Harper is a living being just like you and me and you _will_ respect his rights." Baja said in the firmest voice she could. "Harper was raised by humans, he thinks, talks, and acts like a human. He's even taken on the form of a human."

"He can change his looks all he wants but he's still a bug, a nasty infestation on our world."

"Unfortunately, he's correct in the sense that internally Harper is still Basiacan." Kardan's voice spoke up. "But I've talked to the boy. He's nothing like his brethren."

"You and Harper are from the same region and will have to work together." Sizvu added. "Whether you like him or not is of no consequence."

"I'd rather see the little beast locked up in Sector 23."

"That's enough." Baja barked. "Your personal feelings on the matter can't get in the way of your duty to the planet."

There was a growl from Craggan. "Just keep the little monster away from me."

Harper felt tears prickling at his eyes as he listened to the team meeting. A team meeting that didn't include him and yet seemed to be all about him. He pressed himself into a dark corner as Craggan stormed out of the room. The Gold Ranger froze immediately, sensing his presence, and turned to where Harper was trying to hide. Craggan stalked up to him, yanking him out of the shadows and slamming him against the wall. Harper grunted, eyes wide with fear, and tried to pull away.

"I can smell your stench, insect. I was trained as an Exterminator." Craggan snarled, voice low and dangerous. "Give me a reason and I'll blast your head off. Got me?"

Harper swallowed his fear and nodded. He grunted again as Craggan shoved him roughly against the wall and then turned and stalked off. He could still feel the heat of Craggan's furious hands on his shoulders and not for the first time wished desperately that he was all human. What he wouldn't give to be human.

"Harper?"

The young man looked up as he heard his name spoken. He knew without seeing that it was Kardan, the older man's soft accent was always a pleasure to his ears. But even as comforting as the voice was he still wanted to turn tail and run. The soft concerned eyes only served to remind him of what he'd heard.

"How much of that did you hear lad?" Kardan asked.

Harper opened his mouth to reply, but he choked on his words. It was all the answer Kardan needed. The doctor moved forward and pulled Harper back into the room where the rest of the team was still talking. All conversations stopped when they realized who Kardan was ushering in. The silence was unnerving and the instinct to get away bit at Harper even harder.

"He heard us." Kardan said simply.

Harper couldn't look at any of them. He didn't want them to see how much he'd been hurt by it all. It was only when Kardan placed a hand on his shoulder that he instinctively looked at the older man. Kardan's warm eyes were his undoing. He broke down, crying not for the first time at the unfair treatment he often received. He knew he should have been used to it by now, but he just couldn't. It never got easier to deal with. People would be nice and cordial with him, until they smelled him, and then things would change. Basiacans didn't stink, as Craggan suggested, but they did have a distinct smell, like spicy herbs. Once people caught his scent their behavior towards him would take a distinct turn for to violence and maliciousness.

"There now lad, no use getting worked up over what you can't change." Kardan soothed, pulling Harper into an embrace.

"Craggan hates me."

Kardan shared a look with Baja. "He just doesn't know you."

"He'll never give me a chance." Harper said.

"Craggan's not a bad guy. He lost his father and older brother to a Basiacan ambush." Pydin explained. "He thinks his younger brother should be in your place."

"We'll never be able to work as a team." Harper said. "He'll never trust me."

"The boy has a point." Maxoff said, looking toward Baja. "Someone else should be Craggan's partner."

"Each region of our planet is different and all of us are accustomed to our region and how we fight there." Baja said. "Harper and Craggan specialize in swamp fighting and none of the rest of us could hope to fight in the swamp lands as well as they do."

"Perhaps that is our mistake." Ekkan spoke up, looking distinctly annoyed. "To be the best that we can be we should all train in every region."

Baja nodded. "I agree, we should have done that a few months ago when we still had time. The Basiacan invasion force will be here in two days. There's no time for training, only for preparations for war."

Harper paled, like he always did, at the mention of the invasion. He was Basiacan, but they weren't his people. He didn't feel loyal to them. He didn't want to be a part of their society. He had been raised as a human and they were his people. He was scared of his kind, just like all the humans were. He knew that his kind would be able to sense him, know that he was one of them and not a human, and he was terrified about how they would react to him. He didn't belong with humans and he didn't belong with Basiacans.

"Harper." The young man looked up, shaken from his musing, and into Baja's soft eyes. "You're one of us, not matter how different you are on the inside. Got that?"

"Yes ma'am." Harper replied, though deep down he didn't believe it.

"We'll get through this together." Baja added. "We all just have to be a team and watch out for one another."

"But please keep a close eye on Craggan." Maxoff said. "His grief clouds his better judgement and hatred is dictating his actions."

"I'll be careful." Harper said, feeling a little warm inside at their concern. "Maybe some day I'll prove myself to him."

"You've no need to prove yourself lad." Sizvu said. "He'll either open his eyes and really see you for who you are or he'll be a close-minded idiot."

Harper nodded. He knew he had a hard time ahead of him. Things had never been easy. But now he had friends. He had teammates to watch his back and be there for him. Maybe, just maybe they would all make it through all right. Maybe he would be able to prove that he wasn't so different.


	2. Bye, Bye Brother

Here's a little extension of a scene in chapter 24.

ZzZzZ

Kale looked up as soft musical notes floated through his quarters. He had been watching files of the recent battles, hoping to find something to help them against Jadikai. The Knights of Destruction had finally been pulled off the frontlines, but Jadikai still had plenty to throw at them. He'd been looking too hard and his eyes were starting to sting a little. A break was just what he needed. He mentally ordered his front door to open and Valin stepped in looking like he'd run a marathon. Kale stood up, instantly worried about his friend. Valin was bent over trying to catch his breath.

"Zac's leaving." Valin managed to get out.

Kale drew in a quick breath. "What?"

"He's loading up his zord right now." Valin said. "Go quickly."

Kale didn't even think. He ran out of his quarters and made a beeline for the lifts. The whole way he tried to understand why his brother would leave. Sure things were becoming a little worse for the Gifted population. He was getting a little annoyed with all the protests and the laws that were being brought before the Council. All citizens were already in the system files, but many were wanting the Gifted to be marked somehow, both physically and on their files. Even though he and Zac were rangers, all the changes would effect them as well. It bothered him, made him worry about the way things were going, but he knew it bothered Zac much more.

As the lift stopped at the zord bay level he rushed out to see Zac gathering his belongings onto a lift into his zord. He stood there for a moment, watching as Zac boxes onto a lift. Valin wasn't joking. Zac really was leaving.

"You're leaving me?" Kale asked.

Zac spun and Kale could tell he was surprised to see him there. That just made Kale angrier. His twin brother had planned on leaving without saying goodbye. After everything they had already suffered through together, his brother was just going to leave him behind.

"I can't stay here anymore Kale."

"You can't leave me Zac, I need you here." Kale argued.

Kale felt tears prickling at his eyes as Zac walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Kale, you know that no matter how far away I go we're always connected. Twin thing, remember? I'll always be with you."

"How can you leave us when we still need you? Jadikai is still a major threat." Kale demanded.

"I have to go. You may not be able to see what's happening, but I can. I'm not going to stay and be witness to our world falling apart because of internal strife." Zac said. "I'm not going to be treated like a freak because I have purple eyes and can move things with my mind. They're not placing restrictions on me."

"We can deal with it together." Kale argued.

Zac frowned. Kale was being too naïve. Everyone was being naïve. The Gifted were just going to keep getting treated worse and worse. Soon they would be locking Gifted up just for being different. Worse, they would draft Gifted into the army and use their powers with no regard for the Gifted. He couldn't stay there for that. Being a Power Ranger might have saved him from the humiliation of some restrictions, but he couldn't stand by and watch others suffer.

"Come with me Kale, we can go someplace where our differences won't matter." Zac urged. When Kale shook his head Zac's eyes grew dark. "That's right, you choose your boyfriend over me."

Kale's chest tightened with anger. "It's not fair to make me choose."

"Life's not always fair Kale." Zac replied. His eyes softened again and he pulled his brother into a hug. "I'll keep in touch."

"You better." Kale said into his brother's neck. "Take care of yourself."

"You do the same. Good luck."

With that Kale watched as his twin brother transported into his zord. The giant silver robot looked down at Kale one last time before the rockets fired and the zord shot into space. Kale felt tears filling his eyes. He could already feel his brother getting further and further away and he knew there was nothing he could do to bring him back. He didn't even flinch as a hand landed on his shoulder and he turned to look into caring brown eyes.

"He's gone Nick." Kale whispered.

"It'll be okay. He'll be back." Nick said comfortingly.

Kale allowed himself to be pulled into Nick's arms. "I have a bad feeling that he won't."

"I know it doesn't compare, but you'll always have me Kale. I promise."

"Don't make promises you can't keep." Kale warned.

Nick smiled softly and kissed Kale's cheek. "I think I can keep this one."

Kale sighed and leaned into Nick's taller, broader frame. He suddenly felt lost and more alone than ever before even though Nick was right there with him. He'd never been far enough away from Zac not to sense him. With the death of their parents during a monster attack the two had grown closer than ever before. They made an unstoppable team together, able to fight in unison without words. And now that was gone. He felt empty.

"What are we going to tell Rez?" Kale asked finally.

Nick grimaced. "He's not going to be pleased."

"He'll have to get over it. Zac's not coming back."


	3. Tattoo

Well, it's not just Niko and Zadan, but there's some interaction in there. It's a look at what things were like before Jaldia. Enjoy and remember to keep the suggestions coming.

ZzZzZ

"No."

"C'mon Niko, don't be a wimp." Zadan taunted.

Niko growled and shot his older friend a dirty look. "I don't need a tattoo to express my friendship with you guys."

"You do if you're going to be a Blue Dragon." Terik said. A wicked smile slowly spread across his face. "You're afraid."

"Am not." Niko spat back quickly.

Zadan and Terik shared an amused look, which earned them a darker look from Niko. All three looked up as a whimper sounded from the other side of the room. The tattoo artist apologized profusely as all five men in the room glared at him. The man currently getting tattooed threatened a violent death if he slipped up again.

"Alexi, if you threaten his life you'll just make him nervous and then he'll just jab you again."

"Shut up Walker." Alexi snapped, green eyes flashing. "The tattoos were your idea."

"Oh stop being a baby." Walker said with a grin. "It's not that bad. Besides, you're scaring the kid."

"I'm not a kid." Niko snarled.

His four friends laughed, which just angered him more. He turned to storm out of the tattoo parlor, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He shrugged the hand off, but turned to face the owner. Reddish-brown eyes gave him the puppy dog look that had weakened his resolve many times before. They served their purpose once more as Niko sighed, the anger rushing out of him like a tidal wave. No one had as much of a calming effect on him as Zadan did. His partner in crime could talk him into just about anything.

"C'mon Niko, prove to these guys you're not a wimp." Zadan said.

"I'm not a wimp." Niko retorted.

Zadan smirked. "I'm not the one you have to prove it to. You tried to ride that gorath with me, remember? No wimp would do that."

"Besides, you'll be the only one without one." Terik added, having stayed out of the conversation for a few moments. He knew Zadan would talk Niko into it. No one else could. "They don't hurt that bad anyway, not on the shoulder."

"Oh sure, you can say that. You've got tattoos on your face." Niko grumbled.

"Let the coward chicken out." Walker spoke up. "Maybe he's not fit to be a Blue Dragon anyway. Just proves what Venn has always said. The only reason he survived Hadis was he had Zadan watching his back. He's been riding his coat tails ever since."

"Hey!" Niko exclaimed. That hurt his pride and he wouldn't stand for it.

Zadan shot an outraged look at Walker, but his anger cooled when his friend winked at him. Obviously the older man had discovered a better way of persuading Niko. Now Niko had to get the tattoo or risk proving the accusations truthful. He knew it wasn't true. He had busted his ass to stay alive and pulled his weight just as much as Zadan when they were on Hadis. If he had to get some stupid tattoo to prove it then so be it.

"I'll show you. I'm not a wimp." Niko growled, glaring at Walker. He missed the triumphant look his other three friends shared.

Some time later Niko unclenched his eyes and glanced around. His four friends were standing around him grinning. The tattoo artist wiped a liquid seal over the colored flesh then stood back and grinned at his own work. Of the five dragons he had just done, this one was his favorite. The wings were spread wide and the dragon's mouth opened in a defiant roar. It was poised to pounce, ready for battle just like Niko. The blue-green eyes reflected strength and courage that shined oh so obviously in the young man's eyes. Yes, this dragon was the best he had ever done.

"Very nice Niko." Walker said, ruffling the boy's hair. "I thought there for a moment we were going to have to get you drunk before you'd get it done."

"Nah, I have more faith in my boy than that." Zadan grinned at the scandalized look on Niko's face for being called a boy.

"Your boy?" Alexi repeated with a grin.

Zadan shot his friend a look that clearly said to be quiet. Alexi snickered, but was silenced by a vicious smack to the back of the head from Walker. The younger man shot his partner in crime a look that threatened retaliation. Walker laughed at the threat and took off as Alexi lunged at him. Zadan helped Niko out of the chair and held his hand for just a moment longer than necessary causing both to blush. Terik rolled his eyes as he paid the tattoo artist and followed his teammates. He wondered just how long it was going to take those two to realize they loved each other. He hoped they did it before they left for Jaldia. There wouldn't be any time for fun and games in the final month of training. And there was a feeling deep in the pit of his stomach that something was going to happen on Jaldia. Something not good.


	4. Gorath

AN: Here's more Niko/Zadan. A lot of people seem to want that. Let's just say trouble is something they're intimately familiar with. Enjoy! And don't forget to review and let me know what else you want to see!

ZzZzZ

The halls were almost pitch black. The training base on Durix was a little less advanced than some of the others bases. It was far back in Kalix's territory, completely controlled and under no threat of attack. There were a few Dedians to stand guard, but no real active security measures. Therefore, two shadowy figures sneaking down a hall went completely unnoticed by everyone. Their intimate familiarity with the halls made it easy for them to maneuver their way down several halls and to the doors leading outside. One opened the door just enough to push a small seeing device through. Twisting it one way and then the other he found the guards gone.

"Let's go." He whispered softly.

"I don't know Zadan, this might be a bad idea."

"Don't be a chicken Niko." Zadan taunted in reply.

Niko clenched his jaw and silently followed his partner in crime out the door. He knew if they were caught they would be punished for being up after lights out. If Training Master Surun didn't punish them, then Dariv most certainly would, but most likely of all was that both of them would dole out the punishment. Niko wasn't looking forward to that.

As if sensing his thoughts Zadan shot him a mocking look. Niko glared back at him. The mood instantly shifted as Zadan held up a closed fist. Both trainees came to a stop and dropped flat on the ground. Seconds later a small patrol of Dedians started to pass within a few feet of them. One of the Dedians stopped. Niko didn't dare look at it, but he could guess it was a red trimmed Dedian, the bastards always seemed to be the ones to catch them. Niko held his breath as the Dedian stood still for several minutes scanning the area.

"Halt." The Dedian called to his comrades.

Niko tensed, sensing they had been found. The patrol came closer to their position. Niko hardly dared to breathe. One Dedian's boot was mere inches from his hand and he knew if the armored warrior looked down no amount of black clothing would hide him. All the Dedian had to do was take one more step and they would be found.

"False alarm." The patrol leader finally said. "Continue."

The four Dedians got back into formation and marched away. Niko waited a few minutes to make sure they were gone before sitting up and glaring at Zadan. His older companion grinned and Niko could tell that Zadan really enjoyed the thrill of sneaking out. He didn't, but he knew he would enjoy the fruits of their labor. Together the duo made their way to the wall where they faced the most difficult task. They could easily scale the rather short brick wall, but they had to do it without being seen and that would be the difficult part.

"I'll go first and make sure the other side is secure. I'll birdcall if it's safe." Zadan whispered.

"They'll hear you." Niko replied.

"It's that or I throw something at you."

"Fine, birdcall."

Niko watched as Zadan slunk to within a few feet of the wall and then took a running leap. He cringed as one of Zadan's hands slipped and then breathed a sigh when his partner got both hands on the top of the wall and pulled himself up and then over. Niko waited anxiously. He knew that if the Dedians saw Zadan they would immediately look for him. Just when he was ready to panic and head back he heard Zadan's distinctive birdcall. Niko instantly pushed himself up and rushed forward. He took a flying leap, caught the top of the wall, and pulled himself over much quicker than Zadan had. However, his haste gave him little chance to prepare himself for a landing, but was saved from a nasty fall when Zadan caught him.

"Fancy meeting you here." Zadan teased.

Niko squirmed out of his arms and gave him a heated look. Zadan grinned innocently before the two set out again. Now that they were away from the wall there would be very few patrols. They walked in a comfortable silence with a confidence borne of months of training on the planet. They knew the jungle just as well as they did the base and could easily make their way through the tangles of vines toward their goal. The planet's moons provided light, but they didn't need much of it.

Very shortly the two broke through the jungle into a sort of marshy, meadow. They could see for miles over the vast flat land and were pleasantly surprised to find their target so close to them. Sharing an excited look the two warriors in training stalked forward, their target blissfully unaware of them. Niko eyed the creature with a mix of awe and fear. Training Master Surun had told them that the creature was a gorath and that it was very dangerous. He told them to stay away from it at all costs. That just made the two rebellious boys want to get closer to it.

"Wow." Niko murmured.

Zadan turned his head and gave his friend a grin. "Pretty awesome. Bet those tusks could spear a Dedian clean through."

"Not to mention those antlers." Niko mused.

The gorath was massive. It was armed with four iron hard hooves, two armor piercing tusks, and a rack of antlers. It stood well above the two adventurous boys and posed a threat they should have known better than to mess with. They did know better, but that didn't stop them. The partners stopped a little ways away from the beast and tried to figure out how best to get atop the beast.

"I'll go around front and get its attention. You hop onto its back." Zadan said.

"I'll get kicked." Niko argued.

"You want to draw its attention?"

"No."

"Then stay here and wait."

Niko frowned at his older teammate, but didn't say anything in reply. He watched as Zadan skirted around the creature's side and then move in front of it. The gorath bellowed in surprise and took several giant steps back. Niko had no choice but to jump onto its back. Instantly the gorath began to buck and spin like some kind of crazed living top. Niko grabbed onto a handful of fur, but it wasn't enough. One mighty buck sent him flying into the air with a shocked and terrified yelp. With both hands out he cushioned his fall and felt one wrist give a little sending a sharp jolt of pain all the way up his limb.

"Niko!" Zadan was by his side instantly.

Both of them froze as the gorath gave another bellow of fury. As one they looked toward the enraged beast and found it with its head down and antlers ready to do damage. They looked back at one another and realized very quickly they had made a huge mistake. The gorath didn't give them any chance to prepare. It charged and Zadan quickly yanked Niko up. Niko leapt out of its path, but Zadan didn't get quite far enough and the antlers caught him hard in the ribs. He cried out as the antlers caught on the fabric of his sleeping shirt and pulled him along.

"Zadan!" Niko shouted in horror.

The gorath bellowed again and swung Zadan hard into the ground. Zadan rolled instantly and avoided being stepped on by those damaging hooves. The gorath spun quicker than most beasts its size could and came at Zadan again. Zadan got his arms up, but it was a weak defense. The unbreakable antlers nearly shattered Zadan's left arm and he was drove hard into the ground.

Not thinking properly Niko leapt at the gorath's side. The thought came to him too late that he was hardly strong enough to move the gorath and save his friend. The gorath seemed to sense his move and swung its head to the side. The impact sent Niko tumbling and the last thing he saw before his head came into contact with a rock was the gorath trying to gore his friend.

Zadan knew he and his friend were done for. He couldn't tell from his position if Niko was breathing or not, but he knew it wasn't going to matter. The gorath was about to turn its attention back to him and finish what it started. There was nothing he could do.

"Hey monster!" A familiar voice shouted from somewhere close by.

The gorath bellowed and spun to face the new threat. Three men were standing in a half circle and looked ready to fight. The gorath bellowed again and charged. The man in the middle grabbed the gorath's horns, leapt into the air, and used his strength and weight to shove the beast's head to the ground. The gorath stumbled, its front legs giving out from the awkward position. The two other men quickly lunged forward and kicked its back legs out from underneath it. The gorath gave a cry of despair as it hit the ground and became fully vulnerable. When no further attack came the animal shoved to its feet as quickly as it could and bolted away.

With the threat gone the three men turned their attention to their injured teammates. "You boys just couldn't resist could you?"

"C'mon Terik, don't tell me you weren't tempted." Zadan replied.

"Oh I was tempted, but I'm smart enough not to mess with things bigger than myself." Terik retorted. He kneeled beside the younger boy and shook his head. "You're lucky Training Master Surun called for a surprise training session or we never would have known you were missing."

"Is he mad?"

"Are you kidding?" One of the other men spoke up. "He's furious. You'll be lucky if he doesn't skin you alive."

"But maybe he'll take pity on your pathetic state and go easy on you." The third man said.

"Dariv won't." Terik added. "Expect a full, brutal dress down for this."

Zadan bit back a cry of pain as he was helped to his feet. His ribs burned like fire and his shattered arm gave him agonizing jolts each time it was jarred. Despite his own pain he quickly looked to where the other two men were checking on Niko.

"Walker? Alexi? How is he?" Zadan questioned.

Walker frowned and looked over at the younger man. "This head wound is serious. We need to get him back quickly."

"The Doctor isn't going to be too pleased with you boys either." Alexi added with a smirk. "He's going to tear you a new one."

Zadan groaned, but didn't say anything else. The trip back to the training base was made in relative silence. Everyone once in a while Alexi and Walker would say something to each other, but for the most part no one spoke. Upon passing through the gates Niko regained consciousness and insisted he walk on his own. Alexi and Walker complied, but helped any time he stumbled or faltered. Very soon they entered the infirmary.

"Bloody hell lads what have ya done to yourselves?" Dr. Radkee exclaimed.

"They decided to try and ride a gorath." Terik replied.

"Bloody foolish thing to do." Radkee muttered. He glared at his two new patients. "Make yourselves comfortable lads. I have a feeling you're going to be here a while."


	5. Lost and Found

AN: Thank you to everyone who has been keeping up with these little side stories. Remember ideas are always welcome. Here's a little ficlet about the Knight Rangers. Enjoy!

ZzZzZ

"What are we, their slaves?"

"They get to push us around because we're the youngest."

"Will you two stop complaining? This is why they're treating us like kids."

Kale shot a glare of annoyance at his white clad teammate. Nick just glared right back at him. Valin sighed used his hand grips attached to his rope to pull himself further up the side of the zord they were supposed to be cleaning. Below him he could hear his two teammates start to bicker. Kale and Nick were two peas in a pod, but when they got irritated no one was safe not even each other. He just wanted to stay out of it. The sooner they got Rez's zord cleaned the sooner he could go to bed.

"I'm tired of you flapping your damn mouth all the time!" Kale yelled.

"I'm tired of you period!" Nick retorted.

"What kind of comeback is that?"

"What kind of comeback is that?" Nick mocked.

"BOTH OF YOU SHUT UP!"

Kale and Nick fell silent as they both stared at Valin with wide eyes. Having the usually reserved Green Ranger scream at them was shocking. It was enough to make them realize something was really wrong with their friend. Instantly their argument was forgotten as both boys pulled themselves up to be level with their teammate. Valin was angrily scrubbing at the zord and seemed to be trying to ignore them. Nick and Kale exchanged a worried look at his unusual behavior.

"Valin, are you okay?" Kale asked gently.

The green clad teenager remained silent. His green eyes stared determinedly at the blue metal in front of him.

"Valin?"

"Leave me alone." Valin snapped.

Nick and Kale exchanged another look. Nick gently prodded his friend in the side. "What's wrong?"

"What do you care? All you two want to do is argue." Valin snapped.

Before either of his teammates could say anything Valin unclamped the hand grips and allowed himself to free fall toward the ground. A few feet from the ground he used the hand grips to slow his descent and his feet gently touched the ground. Moving quickly he removed his harness equipment and stormed out of the zord bay. Nick and Kale exchanged another surprised glance before doing the same thing. They made a beeline straight for the door and bumped into a purple clad figure.

"Sorry Max." Nick apologized, helping the older ranger to his feet.

Max brushed himself off and gave his teammates a critical look. "What have you boys been up to in the zord bay? If you tampered with any programming--."

"And risk your wrath? We're smarter than that." Kale said. "Rez had us cleaning the zords."

Max started laughing. Nick and Kale exchanged a confused look, which only made Max laugh harder. The purple clad young man quickly slipped into the zord bay before they could ask him why he was laughing. They didn't need to know that the techdroids automatically cleaned the zords after every battle.

The two befuddled rangers shook off their confusion and hurried toward the lift. Unfortunately, Valin was already long gone, which meant they had a pretty big base to search to find him. They took the lift to the next level up, the medical level. There were all sorts of private recovery rooms and research rooms to check as well as the infirmary and ICU. Valin could hide anywhere on the level. Luck was on their side, just as they stepped off the lift a yellow clad woman walked out of one of the research rooms.

"Sanda!" Nick called.

The blond woman stopped and turned her attention to her teammates. "Nick, Kale what's wrong? Are you hurt?"

"No, we're searching for Valin." Kale replied.

Nick grimaced. "We kinda upset him."

"Upset Valin? What did you do bring up his sister?" Sanda demanded. "I don't know why you would look on this level for him. Valin knows better than to play around on this level. Unlike two other boys I know."

"You have no proof of anything you've accused us of doing." Nick said with an innocent smile. "We wouldn't mess around down here either."

"And I suppose there are more immature boys on this base that would find it funny to draw inappropriate pictures on my presentation slides?"

Kale snickered at the memory as Nick grabbed him by the back of his uniform and hauled him backward into the lift. Sanda shook her head and continued down the hall to her office as the two boys went to the next level. The training level had simulators, an arena for competitive sessions, two workout rooms, a pool, and a two locker rooms. More places for Valin to hide. Nick was beginning to realize what a chore lay in store for them. Valin could hide anywhere and if he didn't want to be found they wouldn't find him. Of course, that wouldn't stop them from looking.

"Valin!" Kale shouted into the hallway. He grunted as Nick smacked the back of his head. "Hey!"

"He's not going to answer if he doesn't want to be found dumbass." Nick chided.

Kale growled, his purple eyes flashed. "Don't call me a dumbass! And don't hit me!"

"Then don't do stupid things and I won't!"

"I'll show you stupid things!"

"Boys!"

Nick and Kale jumped and spun at the booming voice. A gray clad young man and a red clad woman were watching them with disapproving looks.

"Kora, Greg, have you seen Valin?" Kale asked, trying to ignore the looks he was being given.

"No." Kora said and then stepped back through a door into the arena.

Greg shook his head. "You boys should stop arguing. You'll regret it one day."

"We're just looking for Valin, not a lecture." Kale snapped.

"Maybe you need a lesson instead." Greg retorted, his own temper flaring.

"Greg, leave the boys to their own problems." Kora called from within the room. "Our training is more important."

Greg gave his younger teammates another disapproving glare before he disappeared through the door too. A little disheartened the teenagers stepped back onto the lift and went up to the next level. They only paused briefly at the command level. There was no way Valin would be insane enough to hide on the command level. They were restricted from stepping foot there without one of the older rangers with them.

The next and last level would be the toughest to search. There were bedrooms for both the rangers and staff but also for emergency cases. Along with that there was the mess hall, the more private rec. room, the mediation room, and the kitchen. So many places for Valin to hide. The task almost seemed impossible.

"Man, I never realized how big this place is." Kale groaned. "Valin could be anywhere."

"Yeah and it's our job to find him."

"Why? He obviously doesn't want to be found." Kale argued.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Are you that thick headed? Of course he wants us to find him. He wants to see that we really care about him enough to hunt him down and find out what's wrong with him."

"Stop insulting me." Kale snapped. "What's your damn problem anyway? You've been at my throat all day."

"Oh and you haven't been at mine?"

"Are you two suddenly five year olds in teenage bodies? Cause it sounds to me like a few bad tempered children are throwing temper tantrums."

Kale turned and glared at his silver clad brother. "Don't start with me Zac, I'm not in the damn mood."

"Okay, I know that today's battle was really tough and you both go your asses kicked more than you like, but you bad attitudes aren't helping things around here." Zac ground out between clenched teeth. "I don't think you should find Valin until you've pulled your heads out of your asses."

Kale glared after his brother and started to follow, but Nick grabbed his shoulder. Kale jerked away from his touch and turned to glare at him. Nick instantly glared back and the tension between them grew.

"What is your damn problem today?" Nick snarled.

"You are apparently." Kale growled back.

There was a flash of hurt in Nick's eyes that cut straight through Kale's anger. "I am? Well, if I'm your problem I'll just remove myself from your presence and your day can get better."

"Nick, I'm sorry." Kale said, grabbing his friend's shoulder as the older teen turned to leave. "That monster today just wound me up and I haven't been able to relax."

"Hit a nerve when it said you were nothing without your brother, huh?"

"And I bet you haven't gotten over the crack about your zord looking like a glorified snowman."

"And Valin...oh god, how blind could we be?" Nick groaned.

"Pretty blind."

Nick and Kale jumped for the hundredth time that night and turned to see Rez walking toward them. He didn't look disapproving like the others. There was the same serene air of peace around him as there always was. His silver-green eyes were calm and his long black hair pulled back, completing the picture of serenity.

"Laizers hit some sore points on all of us today, but none worse than Valin. The comments about Aurias struck him deeply and I had hoped that you two were good enough friends to see past your own bruised egos to see that he was hurting." Rez said, his deep voice echoing in the lonely hall. "When you are ready to comfort him your hearts will lead you to him."

With that Rez followed in Zac's footsteps though much calmer. Nick and Kale exchanged guilty looks.

"And to think I called you dumbass when that title belongs to both of us." Nick said.

"I think self absorbed jerks fits too." Kale mused. He rubbed a hand over his face and sighed. "Okay, if you were an upset green ranger where would you go?"

The two stared at each other thoughtfully. They needed to find their friend and quickly. The answer struck them simultaneously.

"The Aviary!"

As one the two Knight Rangers darted down the hall. Their footfalls were exactly in sync with each other. They didn't even pause to turn into a room, but they did come to a pretty abrupt halt when they entered. The room had several different glass housings for many separate varieties of birds. The room had been a guest bathroom, but one of the previous Green Knight Rangers had turned it into an aviary and for some reason every Green Ranger after that was attracted to it. As expected Valin was curled up on one of the little couches, tears glistening on his cheeks.

"Oh Valin." Kale murmured sadly.

The young Green Ranger sat up when he heard them enter and rubbed at his face as if trying to hide his tears. Kale moved swiftly to his friend's side and pulled the slightly younger teen into a comforting embrace. Valin didn't try to pull away, if anything he snuggled closer and let himself really cry. Nick moved to sit on Valin's other side and put a hand on the younger teen's shoulder.

"I'm sorry Valin, I should have seen past my own wounded pride to realize that what that monster said hurt you deeply." Nick said.

Kale tightened his arms. "I'm sorry too. What kind of friend am I to not see when my best friend is hurting?"

"I tried to hide it." Valin offered. "I didn't want anyone to think I was weak."

"You're not weak Valin and we would never think that." Nick replied. "You've been through some truly terrifying situations and come out of it still strong."

"And what that monster said about Aurias isn't true at all." Kale added. "Aurias was never meant to be the Green Ranger. She wouldn't make a better Green Ranger and we definitely don't want her on the team."

"And you had no power over her killing your father. You couldn't have stopped her."

"I...I should be upset that my father was killed by my older sister...but..." Valin shook his head with a sniffle. "But the oldest child is supposed to get the Ranger power. Rightfully the power should have been hers."

"What your family tradition dictates and what the power says are two different things." Kale said. "Your family tradition said it should have been Aurias who got the Green Ranger powers. But it was the power talking to your father, choosing youthat got you the power instead. The power chose you Valin, not her. Remember that."

"That means a lot to hear you say." Valin murmured. "I'm sorry I yelled at you guys earlier."

"No, we're sorry for being self righteous, self absorbed, half-witted morons." Nick replied, leaning down to join the group hug.

"But we promise never to do that again. From now on we look out for each other first and ourselves second." Kale said.

"No one will ever suffer in silence again."


	6. Bad Blood

AN: Okay, this is for one of my wonderful betas, zort. She reads everything I write even if she doesn't know the fandom.The beginning is heavy slash.I feel it's only fairto give advanced warning. This is to elaborate onthe feud between the Psycho Rangers and the Rogues.

ZzZzZ

Chris sucked in a quick breath and then let it out in a low, barely controlled moan. His fingers flexed against cold metal as white-hot heat spread through his body. A hot, wet tongue traced from his shoulder up to a sweet spot just under his ear and his legs trembled when that fiery mouth sucked fiercely. He couldn't stop another moan from escaping as deft fingers slipped up under his shirt and massaged his ribs.

"God Sid..."

Sid grinned to himself at Chris's low moans. He enjoyed dominating his older partner. Usually it was Chris taking control, but Sid was in no way submissive. Their relationship was one of equal give and take as both of them were too strong willed to totally give up control. Sid was enjoying the fact that he had caught Chris completely unprepared and had his older partner at his mercy.

"What do you want Chris?" Sid whispered hotly, letting his tongue touch his friend's ear with each word.

Chris's reply was moaned out with complete honesty. "You..."

Before Sid could make any kind of reply or continue his scheme of torture Chris lunged forward and twisted them around. Sid yelped in surprise to find himself suddenly pinned against the wall with his eager partner kissing all sense right out of him. His moan mingled with Chris's as their hands wandered over each other as if they had never touched before. They were like overeager teenagers who had never done anything of this nature before. It was only partly true. Sid was an overeager teenager at the age of 17, but Chris was an adult at 20. And this was definitely not their first time of doing it.

Chris pulled back from the kiss as he caught a sense of desperate urgency from his partner. He knew something had been bothering Sid for several days, but his younger friend wouldn't say anything. It was beginning to worry Chris and that was pulling his mind out of the naughty places it had been headed.

"Sid?"

"Not now Chris, please?" Sid begged softly, mouthing his taller partner's neck.

Insistent hands ghosted over Chris's inner thighs and his breath caught in his throat. All thoughts of stopping flew right out of the young man's mind. He leaned forward and pinned Sid to the wall so that their bodies were flush together and once more initiated a searing kiss. Sid's hands fluttered across Chris's muscular back before settling on the equally muscular shoulder blades. Both of them groaned as they ground their bodies together. Neither of them stopped to think that they were only in a dark side hallway and that didn't mean the privacy they thought it did.

They were deep into it, the world completely lost to them. They never heard the voices getting closer or the heavy footsteps. Sid's hands were down the back of Chris's pants and Chris had his hands tangled in Sid's wild hair, both holding on as if the world were about to tear them apart. Then as quickly as it started it was over.

Chris gave a humiliating yelp as he was jerked backwards. At the same time Sid was slammed hard into the wall and pinned there. A rough punch to the ribs knocked the breath out of Chris and his knees gave out. His descent to the floor was helped by a malicious shove and his head connected roughly with the unforgiving metal. Then a foot stepped down on his back between his shoulder blades and he was pinned on his stomach with no way of getting up.

"Ass raping freaks." A deep voice hissed.

Chris's heart skipped a beat and he mentally kicked himself for allowing their public display of affection to get so out of control. None of his teammates had a problem with his and Sid's relationship, but they had been warned that others might. Sid was too irresponsible to worry about such things, but being older Chris should have considered it. If he had they wouldn't have found themselves in such a volatile situation with no teammates to help.

"What makes you cocksuckers think you can molest each other in public? Do you think you're special?" Chris recognized the speaker as one of the Rogues. Which one he couldn't tell, but it was obviously one of the bigger ones. "Well, we're going to put you in your place."

Chris's mind was spinning into overdrive. How could he salvage this situation? It hurt his pride to think of begging for mercy, but it was the only option he could think of at the moment. Unfortunately, his younger partner flapped his big mouth before Chris could come up with something appropriate to say.

"You pussies don't scare us."

Chris mentally groaned. Sid really needed some kind of mental filter. Chris's head snapped up almost painfully as he heard an explosive grunt. His position made it hard for him to see, but he could guess that the other bully had punched his teammate in the stomach.

"C'mon guys, you don't have to do this. We're on the same side after all." Chris tried to reason. "Just let us go and we won't even report this."

There was a low snicker from above him and a cold shiver raced down Chris's spine. Then inspiration struck the young man. He hadn't done anything like what he planned in three years, but it seemed like the only option. He ignored the Rogue as the bully started to berate them both for being together. He heard the words, but let them go right through him as he waited for the Rogue to change his tune. Abruptly, the Rogue's foot was yanked away with a startled yelp and that's when Chris made his move. As the Rogue tried to wiggle the ice off his foot, Chris spun on the floor and tripped the big guy.

"Go Chris!" Sid encouraged.

Chris flipped to his feet and without really taking notice of anything, lunged right at the other Rogue. It was a foolish move that cost him instantly. The other Rogue struck with fierce accuracy. Chris let out a grunt of pain and surprise as a barbed stinger stabbed into his stomach. A wave of dizziness caused Chris to falter and then his legs just simply gave out. Numbness washed through his system and he fell to the ground completely aware, but unable to move.

"Chris!" Sid cried and moved to check on his partner.

An arm came out of nowhere and clotheslined Sid to the floor. Sid tried to get to his feet, but a kick to the chin knocked him flat on his back. A foot pinned him down and from the position he could watch as the Rogue that had stabbed Chris pulled Chris up and easily held the limp young man up. Sid felt relief wash through him when he saw his friend blink, but panic struck him again when he realized Chris couldn't move. Those thoughts fled his mind as the foot on his chest pushed down suddenly making his ribs flex in ways they weren't supposed to.

"Now, you're going to watch as I dismantle your fuck buddy."

The foot on his chest moved away and instantly Sid tried to slip away but a powerful kick to his side sent him sliding across the floor into the wall. He struggled to get up, but he couldn't catch his breath and his attacker was determined. Another kick slammed him against the wall again and then he was kicked again and again, over and over. Time seemed to slow down and the world ground to a halt except for the painful thumps of each kick.

Chris watched helplessly as his lover was beaten. He could see blood pooling around Sid's head and his heart skipped a beat. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't even make a sound in protest. His heart raced with panic as he realized he was going to watch his best friend get killed by two homophobic assholes. All thoughts left his mind as he suddenly realized there was some kind of strange sucking sensation on his neck and it felt as if all the blood in his body was being pulled in that direction. There was no real feeling to it-no pain, no pleasure, no nothing. Just a weird ghost of a sensation as if he should have been feeling it, but wasn't really.

"Ah, c'mon man. I thought we agreed you weren't going to feed in front of me anymore." Chris vaguely heard the first Rogue grumble.

The none-sensation was gone for a moment as his captor replied. "But I'm hungry and he's here now. Besides, if we're going to kill them it might as well pay off."

"I never said we were going to kill them. Master Kalix would skin us alive for killing his precious so-called warriors."

Chris watched with baited breath as the Rogue that had been beating Sid took his attention away from the younger man. Looking as if he wasn't completely there, Sid took advantage of his attackers distraction and retaliated. Chris mentally cheered as Sid jumped onto the big Rogue's back and wrapped an arm tightly around the man's neck. Chris's excitement died quickly as the Rogue slammed backwards into the wall and Sid let out a pained grunt. The Rogue spun around and pinned the smaller warrior to the wall by the throat. Chris was sure the Rogue was going to go against his words and kill Sid.

"That wasn't very smart." The Rogue snarled.

Then all hell broke loose. There was a jolt from behind and suddenly Chris found himself on the floor. His muddled mind was confused as to what was happening. Unable to move he couldn't even look around to see what was going on. But it only took a moment for him to understand what he was hearing.

"No," A deep, familiar voice boomed. "What wasn't smart was picking a fight with us."

Sid was barely aware of anything. He hadn't even thought about what he was doing when he jumped on the big Rogue's back. His instincts had just screamed at him to do something and that was the first thing he could think of doing. Now, as the sound of a fight raged around him he let himself sink to the floor. He vaguely looked around for Chris, realizing in some distant part of his mind that his partner should have been close by. All he saw was blood before his eyes drifted shut and he was lost to the darkness.

ZzZzZ

"You boys just don't know how to stay out of trouble." Doctor Wenson said as he gently tended to the bites on Chris's neck.

Chris gave an irritated huff. "This time it wasn't our fault doc."

"For some reason I find that hard to believe." Wenson smirked. "You've been in here three times in the past five days."

"The first time dumbo over there forgot to look where he was walking. The second time I had a run-in with a grumpy saurian. And this time Sid and I got caught by two homophobic assholes." Chris surmised, hissing softly at the sting of the anti-bacterial cream. "Not our fault."

"Saurians are always grumpy." The doctor muttered absentmindedly as he took a closer look at the stab wound left behind by the Scorpion Rogue's nasty stinger. "You're lucky he didn't go any deeper. You're also lucky his venom isn't fatal."

"He's lucky they caught us off-guard." Chris grumbled. "Next time, he's going to be sorry."

"Oh, come now. Don't go picking fights you can't win." The enran teased. "Besides, neither you nor Sid will be in any condition to fight for some time."

At the mention of his younger teammate, Chris looked toward the still form on the bed across from his. Seeing the concerned look on Chris's face the doctor patted his shoulder. Those worried blue eyes flickered to look at the enran doctor who smiled softly.

"That boy has plenty of fight left in him. He'll be fine." Wenson assured his patient. "It'll take more than a few close minded morons to take him down for good."

Chris smirked. "I'm not worried about his physical condition doc. I'm worried about how pissed off he's going to be and the fight he's going to pick."

"Why Chris, are you scared of a fight?"

"Against the Rogues? Even I'm smart enough not to start that fight." Chris replied. "I'm not scared of much in this universe, but those Rogues...they're a whole kind of evil unlike anything else in Master Kalix's army."

"True enough. I don't envy those who actually have to work with them. That unholy band of misfits is nothing but trouble." Wenson said. "One of these days Master Kalix is going to regret ever allowing them into his army."

"Won't get a chance."

Chris and Doctor Wenson both glanced over at Sid's soft words. Chris frowned as Wenson began to wrap gauze around the stomach wound. "Sid, just let it go."

"No! Those assholes almost killed us." Sid snarled. "I want revenge."

"Isn't it enough that we're both alive?" Chris asked tiredly.

Sid growled, ignoring the throbbing in his ribs. "No. I'm going to make them pay with or without your help. I just have to wait for them to slip up."

ZzZzZ

He should have turned around and left as soon as the doors into the mess hall opened. Any sane person worried about their own well being would have turned around and walked away. But sixteen year old Brandon didn't have any kind of danger sense at all. He saw the full team of Rogues sitting at a table eating and thought nothing of it at all. He strode past their table, unaware that his entrance had gained their attention, and went up to the chow line. The red-haired teen smiled brightly at one of the servers, a female human looking to be about the same age, who blushed brightly.

"Sansa, have you got any chocolate stashed anywhere? Sid and Chris are in the infirmary and I thought I'd sneak them in a treat."

Sansa smirked. "Doctor Wenson will have your head if he hears of it. Are you going to rat me out for giving it to you when you're caught?"

"Would I do that?" Brandon asked with a look of wide-eyed innocence. At her scornful look he smiled. "Of course I won't rat you out. I may be many things, but a snitch I'm not."

Sansa grinned at that and disappeared from the serving window. Moments later she returned with a small pouch and handed it to the teen in front of her. She put a finger to her lips when he opened his mouth to respond and motioned for him to leave. Brandon smirked triumphantly and blew her a kiss before making his way back out of the mess hall. He whistled happily, his mission accomplished, and disappeared out of the door unaware the he was being followed.

He was halfway to his destination when the hall was suddenly blocked in front of him. Brandon came to a stop, quickly taking in the sight of the two Dragon Rogues in front of him. His green eyes narrowed to slits as his good mood instantly fled. He hadn't liked the Rogues before they attacked two of his teammates. Now he hated them with a vengeance for daring to harm two men he looked to as older brothers.

"What do you want?" Brandon demanded.

The red skinned draconan snarled. "You kids run around here like you own this place."

"We simply want to show you the error in your thinking." The green skinned draconan continued.

"Even if we have to do it one brat at a time."

Brandon spun to see the two female Rogues of the team standing behind him. Now Brandon's danger sense kicked in, but it was too late. Caught by himself with no way of calling his teammates, Brandon knew things were about to get very bad for him. None of his Earth Ninja tricks could help him on a space station. He fought back-there was no way he'd go down without a fight-but it was a losing battle from the beginning. As he went down his only thought was how much he just wanted to get the chocolate to his friends.

ZzZzZ

"Damn fool." Kyle said affectionately as he sat by Brandon's bed. Dr. Wenson was taking care of the latest injured teen. "Don't any of you know how to stay out of trouble?"

"No." Three voice answered honestly.

"This is the last straw." Dani growled. "Beating up the lovebirds was bad enough, but no one touches the kid."

"I'm not a kid." Brandon argued.

"We've got to teach those Rogues not to mess with us." Garnes said as if Brandon hadn't said anything.

"And we will." Samous said. "No more playing nice. We take the fight to them."

"Hey, don't do anything without us." Sid obviously didn't like that idea.

"Wouldn't dream of it." Samous assured him. "As soon as you three have recovered we'll make our move."

"And make them sorry."

ZzZzZ

The mess hall was buzzing with activity as usual. Off duty dedians were eating together at their table, while the Lizarians ate elsewhere, and the Aeroi ate as far away from them as possible. At the table in the very center of the mess hall sat the Rogues laughing and being noisier than any of the other group. Tiger was telling a very involving story, being way more animated than was necessary. All the other Rogues were listening, laughing, and making rude comments. They were too busy to notice the group that entered.

The group of Lizarians scattered quickly, but the Aeroi stayed to watch. The Aeroi could tell there was a fight brewing and it had been a while since there had been any good action. The dedians just didn't realize what was going on, their inability to sense the emotions in the air left them in the dark. They continued to eat as if nothing was going to happen.

The laughter at the Rogue table died immediately when they sensed the approach of their rivals. Star Rogue was facing the approaching threat and stood to address them. He noted with mild interest that his rivals were wearing their training armor. It was an exact design for how the suits would look once they were powered. Kalix was calling them Psycho Rangers. Star didn't think there was anything psycho about them. Star wasn't impressed nor did he feel intimidated. It was easy to read their intentions though.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Master Kalix's pets." Star sneered. His team snickered. "What can we do for you kids?"

Things happened quickly from there. The soon to be Psycho Rangers threw the first punches. The numbers were equal on both sides. The fight was brutal and out of control. Within moments Warrior Rogue was out of the fight from a blow to the head. Sid and Chris ganged up on Scorpion, carefully avoiding his tail. Sid jumped on the tail from behind, pinning it to the floor, while Chris pummeled the hell out of Scorpion from the front. All across the mess hall the fight raged on. The dedians stood watching, waiting for orders to break it up. The Aeroi were cheering on the fight as they were excited for some real entertainment.

"What is going on here!" The voice was barely heard above the sounds of the fight. Domis, a large imposing saurian, was not one to be messed with. When his shout was ignored he got angry. "STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!"

That roar was impossible to ignore and the two fighting groups immediately split up. As that was happening General Tarnin, Kalix's third in command, entered the room. Seeing what was going on he let out an angry snarl.

"Who started this." Tarnin demanded.

"They did." The Rogues pointed to the Psychos and vice versa.

"You attacked us." Star snarled toward the Psychos.

"You provoked us." Samous replied angrily.

"Not our fault you've got pussies on your team." Tiger retorted.

"Bastard!" Sid roared and lunged.

That started the fight anew. Things got out of hand quickly. Domis moved to separate the fighters but a random kick caught him right in the face and knocked him on his back. The Aeroi and dedians were still just watching. Tarnin noticed them and growled.

"Don't just stand there you morons! Get in there and stop this!" Tarnin ordered.

The Aeroi, eager for their piece of the action, leapt in. The dedians took more time to figure out a plan of attack. Domis was on his feet again and struggling against the raging fight. As Aeroi and dedians went flying Tarnin yelled for more soldiers. Within moments the mess hall was a war zone with the Rogues and the Psychos still trying to get at one another and the foot soldiers struggling to break them up. Finally after nearly an hour long battle all the instigators were separated and restrained.

"Okay, I don't need any of you to tell me what's going on." Tarnin said, watching the fighters. "My Rogues have been harassing these...Psycho Rangers...so the Psychos decided to take some vengeance."

"There's no proof the Psycho Rangers started this." Domis spoke up from where he was pinning Samous to the ground.

"Actually," One of the only Aeroi still conscious spoke up. "The Psycho Rangers came in here looking for a fight and they threw the first punches."

"The Rogues started it when they beat up three of my teammates." Samous growled. "It was my idea to attack them. I take full responsibility and any punishment for myself."

Tarnin looked like he might disagree, but changed his mind. With a curt nod he looked at Domis. "He's your charge. Punish him." His eyes shifted around the room. "For the rest of you. I don't ever want to see you fighting like this again. We're on the same side, we don't fight each other."

With that Tarnin turned and stormed away. A few moments later Domis got to his feet and pulled Samous up with him. After a brief glare at the other Psycho Rangers, Domis dragged Samous out of the mess hall. With the altercation done the foot soldiers left as well. That left the remaining Psychos and Rogues glaring at each other.

"This isn't the end of this." Kyle growled from where he was knelt by an injured Brandon.

"When are you going to get it? You'll never be more than sideshow freaks compared to us." Star taunted. "You'll never win against us."

"You're not perfect and we're not always going to be powerless." Kyle retorted. "One day you're going to make a mistake and we're going to be there to take advantage."

"You keep telling yourself that." Star sneered as he and the rest of the Rogues started to leave.

"Watch your backs." Sid called.

The Rogues merely laughed and continued on their way. The Psychos collected themselves and left as well. Their need for revenge hadn't been satisfied, too many of the Rogues had walked away. Five hours later Domis took the Psychos away to continue their training. But the hatred between the two teams was not forgotten and a few years later they would meet again.


End file.
